A collection of notes written on betting slips by late snooker player Alex “Hurricane” Higgins are expected to fetch £1,000 when they go under the hammer.

The scrawled notes were penned by the former champion the year before his death last July, a spokesman for Hansons Auctioneers said.

They were given to former journalist David O’Dornan who spent two days with Higgins in 2008.

O’Dornan said: “It’s a bizarre range of notes which provide a fascinating insight into the mind of the troubled genius that was Alex Higgins.

“Most of them are on betting dockets, there is one on the racing page of a newspaper and another is on the back of a bar receipt.

“They really tell a story and for the past couple of years I had preserved them safely in an envelope tucked away in a drawer – they deserve to find a better home with a fan or a collector who’ll appreciate them more.”

One of the notes reads: “Was always honest and tried my best. Feeling good or feeling bad, tried my best.”

Another note reads: “(I was) technically the very best, better than any chess grand master, and when I decided to attack I was also lethal, plus I invented all the delicate screw and stun shots playing on or around the black and pink.”

Known for his fiery temperament and audacious skill with a cue, the Northern Irishman was credited with revolutionising the popularity of the sport.

He died in July last year after battling throat cancer for almost a decade.

Another note, on his health, reads: “fair to middling, battling on, doing things in moderation”.

Hansons Auctioneers manager Charles Hanson said the notes were “almost like an epitaph”.

The notes, which have been given a guide price of £1,000 to £1,500, are expected to be sold by Hansons Auctioneers in Derby on Thursday.